Age of the Mountain
by Senigata
Summary: With the Mako reactor on Mt. Nibel malfunctioning, that which slumbers beneath can finally call out to its children for help. "Free me..." (Joint effort with Denebola Leo; cover art by Marle Nadia)
1. Chapter 1

**This little something here is a joint effort between me and Denebola_Leo. Based on the _Mountain_ fics we and some other authors haven written in the past. It's a slightly different take though, so I hope you'll enjoy it!**

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Tifa**

Mt. Nibel. Monster Mountain. Death Chasm. Fertile Mountain.

It had many names, gathered over the many years after man had settled in the area. Many stories surrounded the mountain, like how supposedly the souls of the dead would travel along its path to find their final resting place.

To Tifa it's been a special place for years. One that she felt an unspeakable connection to. Ever since that day…

She had been stricken by grief from her mother's death that day, had gone up the mountain to see her one last time. Before she knew it, she had fallen down the mountain and only woke up a week later. But instead of being afraid, she had found herself drawn to the place that had nearly been her grave.

Her father, protective that he was, had forbidden her from ever going there again. She still had found ways to sneak off into at least close proximity. Those sneaking skills had helped her on one other occasion as well; when she had sneaked out to meet with the boy next door. Cloud Strife.

_Cloud_, she thought. She had been surprised when he had called her out to the water tower; they never really talked much. But she had always been curious about him, and part of her really wanted to talk to him that night.

He told her he would leave, join Shinra to become a member of SOLDIER. It shouldn't have surprised her. All the boys were leaving town. But for some reason, her heart ached at the thought that she might never see him again. So she had offered him to make a promise with her.

To come to her rescue when she was in trouble.

Nearly two years have passed since then, and she had learned to protect herself by now, yet that promise was still very much embedded inside her heart.

_Are you going to come soon?_ she wondered as her feet carried her up the mountain trail, the wide hat she was wearing shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked up at the Mako reactor in the distance. Some time ago it had started to malfunction, causing the entire area to be polluted enough that some of the elderly townsfolk couldn't step outside anymore. On top of that, the monsters in the area had become especially aggressive, so her father, as the acting mayor of Nibelheim, had sent a request for help to Shinra.

Shinra was sending SOLDIER.

There was a chance they would be sending Cloud. After all, he was from here.

Tifa, knowing the mountain probably better than anyone by this point, was to be their guide. Which was why she was on Mt. Nibel right now; to map out which route would be the fastest to the reactor. She was just checking out the map of the cave system when her ears caught the sound of something. Turning around, she saw nothing.

Shaking her head, she turned her gaze back to the map. Sometimes the mountain could play tricks on you. Air wafting through the caves could cause the strangest sounds. It was one of the reasons it had such a spooky reputation outside of the Nibel area.

_If we take this route should we arrive at the bridge in a little under 2 hours_, she thought, being careful in every step that she took. She might not be that girl from years ago anymore, but the mountain would always be dangerous.

A sudden chill overcame her, as the temperature around her started to drop rapidly. The Nibel area was temperate, being warm for most of the year. A sudden drop in temperature, at this speed, could only mean one thing: mountain fog.

Looking up from the map, Tifa noticed how all around her, small clouds were starting to form, floating around like wispy ghosts, seeking out one another to form a greater whole. Fog on Mt. Nibel could grow very thick, sometimes so much that one couldn't see their own hand in front of their eyes anymore. With a sigh, she folded the map and turned around to head back.

Maybe tomorrow.

As she walked down the mountain trail, a noise caught her attention once again, making her turn around. It sounded almost like skittering. But...nothing. Releasing a breath that she didn't know she was holding, Tifa continued on her way. The mountain must be especially tricky today.

It was after she had made it halfway down she heard it again, but instead of skittering it was like...a whisper. Tifa turned her head to see where the sounds were coming from. This time it persisted.

A frown formed on her face. "Hello?" she called out.

No answer, except for that persistent whisper.

She looked around to see if the sound was perhaps coming from another direction, but no, it definitely came from down that trail. Had this trail always been here?

Her curiosity piqued, Tifa slowly followed the sound. Step by step it grew in intensity, and she found her heart beating wildly inside her chest as she was being guided by this alien voice...no, not a voice, something far more primal.

She came to a halt in front of a cave. One she had never seen before in her life, or had she?

The sensible part of her mind told her that she was only imagining things, that this was only a figment of her imagination, just the mountain wind playing tricks on her; that she should turn around and go back home. But the other part, one that laid much deeper, told her to step inside.

That part won.

Inside, Tifa looked around. The cave looked man-made. Drawings and old runes, _Nibelese_ runes, adorned the walls. An altar was placed on the far end, and there was another, weird looking altar build into the middle of the cave. But what really caught her attention was the statue. A grotesquery of stone and what looked like materia, part goat, part man, part spider.

An old shrine. _Of_ _the old religion?_

Tifa had only heard stories of it. How way before Shinra came around, the people of Nibelheim would pray to their mountain god for protection and fertile soil. Old lady Rose said that her parents had still been practicing some of the old traditions, even if most had largely vanished by then.

A shiver went down her spine as the voice whispered, beckoning her to move forward. Slowly, she approached the statue, hand gingerly reaching out to trace the runes engraved into the bottom.

"Nibl...rung?" Tifa mumbled. She guided her hand higher to brush her fingers over the Materia laced stone. All of a sudden, a faint glow emanated from it, causing her to stumble backwards.

That's when the whispering stopped, only to be replaced by a growl that scraped at the inside of her mind like a rabid Nibel wolf. A scream ripped through her as she was attacked by images from a time long gone, when the area was still lush and green, when trees were sprouting all over Mt. Nibel, when the people lived here without the fear of dangerous monsters or mutated animals.

An eternal spring where everyone could live in peace and multiply.

A voice called out, its words, or rather, intent, speaking to her very being, coiling itself around the edge of her sanity.

_Help...me..._

_**Release...me...**_

Then everything went silent. With a cry, Tifa tumbled to the floor. She lay there for what felt like an eternity, but in truth was just a few minutes as her mind returned to the here and now, gasping for air. Grasping the edge of the altar, she managed to pull herself back up.

_What the heck was that!?_ she wondered after she had managed to calm herself down, her gaze fixed on the statue that had stopped glowing once again.

She didn't want to stay to find out. Quickly she headed for the exit, bound back up the trail and from there started to make her way back into town. On her way down, she didn't notice that the fog had dissipated as quickly as it had formed.

* * *

Tifa sighed as she sat down on her bed, running a brush through her hair. After a few strokes, she put it aside, letting herself fall onto her back to stare at the ceiling.

When she had returned home earlier, the entire thing in the cave didn't leave her alone. Just what had happened there?

During dinner, she had tried to broach the subject to her father, but something had stopped her. Maybe it was the fear that he might not believe her? Or that he might forbid her to go up the mountain again? He was overprotective enough as it was. So she stayed her tongue and instead silently ate her dinner.

"Maybe I was just hallucinating things?" she mumbled to herself. The pollution on the mountain might have gotten to her. Perhaps that was it.

With a huff she got off her bed and walked over to her window, closing the curtains. She needed to sleep if she wanted to get an early start on mapping out their route. SOLDIER would be here the day after tomorrow. Turning off the lights, Tifa laid down on the bed, pulling the covers over her and closing her eyes.

Sleep didn't take long to claim her.

_It was bright and sunny as Tifa walked over the grassy plains stretching out far and wide across the Nibel Area. One of her hands was playing with the hem of the sundress that she was wearing, while she used the other to shield her eyes from the sun. The long, tender grass tickled her bare feet pleasantly._

_She hummed a soft tune, simply enjoying herself, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, wild blond hair entered her vision and her face broke into a wide smile._

"_Cloud!" she exclaimed. He was dressed in plain clothes, nothing fancy like she would expect someone working for Shinra would wear. But that didn't matter. He was back. Tifa jumped him, her arms going around his neck as he grabbed her around her waist at the same time._

_They both laughed, spinning around and around, before falling down on the soft grass. Cloud was lying on top of her, his clear, blue eyes staring deeply into her own, and she found herself drawing him closer to her._

_She was just shy of his lips when he managed to stop her._

"_I'll be back soon. But there's something important you have to do first," he told her. In the blink of an eye, his sclera gave way to a black abyss and the pretty blue of his irises had turned into four glowing beads of amber._

_A tickle beneath her made her turn her head to the side to look at the ground. The once green grass had turned into millions upon millions of spiders._

_Cloud opened his mouth, but this time it was not his voice that spoke._

Help...me...

_She screamed._

_Everything around her shattered, bursting into a million mirror fragments, which in turn burst into a million more until Tifa found herself floating in a sea of nothingness. She twisted and turned, hoping to find something, anything!_

_What she found elicited another scream from deep within her. A pair of floating eyes, like a perverted amalgamation of goat and spider. A sharp glow emitted from them, and Tifa found herself silenced at once, a strange calmness setting over her._

Help... me... Release... me... _She heard his voice echo deep inside her mind and soul. _You're... the only one...

"W-why me?" _she asked, surprising even herself at the question. He didn't answer her with words, but images. The Mako reactor on top of Mt. Nibel, sucking out every little bit of energy from the mountain and, little by little, the surrounding land. Tifa realized now; she was the only one in the town that knew the mountain trails. He needed that expertise for something involving the reactor. Then, something else, something far more sinister was revealed to her that was residing deep within the structure._

The Calamity...

Calamity? _Tifa wondered._

Stiargaapedta...

_Then, she was given another vision, one that was enticed as a reward for her assistance. It began on a day long past, when grief had stricken her so much that she had thrown caution to the wind and headed out towards the mountain. One by one, her friends had run away, save for one lone boy that followed their little group._

_Cloud Strife._

_When she had stumbled, he tried to reach out to her, but it was too late and the both of them tumbled down the mountain. Unknown to them, something deep within the mountain had stirred that day._

Your souls...chose each other...that day...

"_Chose each other?" she asked him. She...didn't really remember that day too well. It was a long time ago, but the vision made her heart jump inside her chest in the most pleasant of ways. Did they really connect with one another that day?_

_Was that the reason she did not hesitate to meet him that night? Because they had chosen one another a long time ago?_

_It sounded so...romantic._

Release...me...

My servant...guide him...

_That was the last she heard before she woke up._

Tifa was startled awake by a sound coming from the roof. Her heart beat like a drum and she wiped sweat from her brow as she started to sit up in bed. The sound from above moved, heading into the direction of the window in an uneven manner. It was like someone was trying to walk on tiptoes with uneven legs. She waited until the sounds stopped before she got out of her bed and walked over to her window. Drawing back the curtains revealed to her a nightmarish vision.

A head like a spider, but its snout that of a goat, looking at her with five human like eyes, their amber glow holding a hidden intelligence that one would never believe a monster such as this would be holding. A part of her wanted to scream, but it was silenced by the part that now finally understood as she looked deep into the creature's eyes, her mind opening to an understanding that had long since been forgotten by her people.

_Fjallgætir..._

It was of the mountain. She was of the mountain. They were all of the mountain.

And the mountain provided.

Tonight it was her that would provide for the mountain in return.

"I'll get myself ready," she told the creature, receiving a sniff in return that caused the window to fog over. Closing the curtain again, Tifa changed into a set of travel clothes and headed out of her room, trying to be as quiet as possible as she ventured down the stairs.

Once outside, she saw that the creature had climbed down from the roof to stand on the ground, its massive body much more spider like than the rest of its head. The town was completely silent, everyone having long since gone to bed.

"I'm to guide you to the reactor, right?"

The Fjallgætir nodded.

"Follow me," she said.

Traveling the mountain by night was akin to suicide, for the monsters residing there were especially active during that time, but to Tifa's surprise there were absolutely no monsters to be seen. Was it His doing that kept them away?

Tifa and her monstrous companion traveled in near silence as she guided it towards their destination, nestled near one of the mountain tops. They had to take somewhat of a long route, as its large body made it impossible to go over the bridge without fear of having it break down on them. Eventually, they arrived at the Mako reactor. As the two of them headed up the metal stairs, Tifa felt her curiosity rise. She never had been inside the reactor itself.

The insides were a marvel of machinery, gears and pipes all over the place, illuminated by the glow of Mako underneath their feet. Deeper inside, they found a large room with a staircase, filled with what looked like some sort of pod. Tifa walked over to one of them, trying to stand on her tiptoes to peek inside, but she was too small to get a proper look. All the while her companion climbed its way up the stairs, its demeanor becoming more and more agitated the closer it got to the sealed door at the top of the stairs.

Noticing the sounds the Fjallgætir made, Tifa looked away from the metal pod and towards the top of the stairs, her eyes landing on a sign on top of the door that was nearly covered by its head.

"Jenova..." Tifa read out loud.

_**THE CALAMITY,**_ she heard it echo inside her mind and had to take a step back at the sheer force behind those words. The creature let out a ghastly, bleating scream and rammed two of its clawed spider legs into the edge of the door. Now it was the metal's turn to scream as little by little the door was pried open, forcing Tifa to cover her ears until, finally, the door was ripped from its hinges and flung across the room.

The creature huffed like a wild ox and turned to face her.

Her duty was fulfilled.

Giving it one last look, Tifa turned around and left as quickly as possible, for what was about to happen was not to be witnessed by His flock. As soon as she had left the reactor, she ran, taking the shortest way to return home, and never once looking back.

* * *

That night, the mountain roared in triumph, and Nibelheim woke up, their minds filled with a sudden clarity that had been gone for so long. _He_ was returning. Their protector and caretaker.

**Niblrung.**

Guided by His words, the townsfolk ventured into the old mansion, finding the dark secrets underneath and gathering them all up. Together, they lit a large bonfire, where they disposed of every single one of those secrets; an offering to the old god that had returned to them. The townsfolk celebrated all night long, laughing and dancing. All for Niblrung.

He was pleased.

Up on the old water tower sat Tifa, watching the celebration from afar, letting out a chuckle as her father received a face full of old Rose's apple pie, before returning her gaze back to the stars, a gentle smile forming on her lips as her hand placed itself on top of her chest, right above her heart.

"Cloud," she whispered as a pleasant tingle went through her body at the thought of him. She could feel him. He was close.

Soon...

* * *

**Chapters for this will be posted _daily_ until completion. So see ya tomorrow.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - Cloud**

A groan escaped him as the truck drove over another bump, making his insides shake unpleasantly. He hated riding in the truck. All the shaking and lack of space fueled his motion sickness.

"Hey, Cloud. You alright?" a voice asked him. Turning his head, he saw his friend Zack give him a worried look.

"I'm not feeling well. Motion sickness," he told him, shaking his head a little.

"Maybe take off your helmet then?" Zack offered. "Might help you breathe some."

"Yeah." Cloud nodded and took it off. Closing his eyes, he rested the back of his head against the truck's inner wall.

"Better?" his friend asked, and Cloud just raised his hand to signal to him that he was alright. Apparently satisfied, Zack turned around to do a few squats while starting a conversation with the leader of this mission. Sephiroth, the great war hero. A while ago the Mako reactor in Nibelheim had a malfunction, and their team was sent to find out what caused it and, if possible, do the necessary repairs.

To someone like Sephiroth, something like this must be a trivial matter. Going to a town like Nibelheim to make some repairs.

_Nibelheim_, Cloud thought, and felt a wave of shame overcome him. He had told everyone that he would make it big, yet here he was, a lowly grunt instead of a member of SOLDIER like he had sworn he would become. Like he had promised Tifa...

He couldn't let her see him like this. A mere Shinra trooper. A far cry from the hero he said he would be.

Another bump. Despite removing that accursed helmet, he still felt like he was going to throw up soon. Right in front of the two men he respected the most.

"Jeez, we've passed Cosmo Canyon a long time ago, how long is this trip gonna be?" Zack asked impatiently.

"Settle down," Sephiroth gently reprimanded.

"Ehhh, I'm about ready to take over driving!"

Cloud held his hand to his mouth. "Please don't!"

Sephiroth agreed with a nod. "We are making good time, Zack."

Zack whined a little, then kicked at the floor of the truck. "Fine, I'll do some squats!"

Cloud sighed in relief, relaxing his body again as he tried to handle his motion sickness. It would lurch upwards, then ebb back, as if his stomach wasn't sure whether to vomit bile or not. Despite the dread of returning to Nibelheim a loser, he couldn't wait for the trip there to be over. Another bump as they went over neglected asphalt, and he very quietly let out an acidic burp.

Then, all of a sudden, a wave of relief overcame Cloud, his motion sickness gone in an instant and replaced with a strange, warm feeling of belonging. Of home. He took in a deep breath of the stuffy air, and found that his stomach held fast. The barest hint of a smile stretched his lips.

"We'll be there soon," Cloud said quietly, his eyes still closed but now sporting an almost peaceful expression. "We've just entered the Nibel area."

Zack looked back at him as he finished his squat. "Huh. Well, guess country boys like us just know when we're back home, eh?"

"Yeah..." Deep inside, Cloud felt something stirring, like a warm embrace on a cold winter's night while a voice whispered into his ear.

_Welcome home._

Like Cloud had said, it didn't take long for them to arrive at Nibelheim. The four of them left their transport and walked over to the town's gates. What they found, frankly, surprised Cloud.

The whole place was buzzing, people walking and talking, a cheery smile on everyone's face. Just by looking at everyone you wouldn't even think there was a reactor malfunction nearby. He sniffed the air, but didn't find the tang of mako that the brief alerted them to.

What was going on?

He looked around a bit more until his eyes landed on one person in particular, sitting by the town gate like she was waiting for someone.

Tifa.

Cloud was immediately drawn to her, part of his mind shouting at him to go talk to her, to tell her that he was sorry he couldn't make it. It was like a magnetic force that pulled him towards her. But it was the other part, the one that screamed to hide, that won out in the end and made him run back to retrieve his helmet.

He managed to put it on just in time for Tifa to turn to look at them. Her eyes widened for a moment, jaw going slack as her hand placed itself over her chest, and a look of disappointment crossed her features before she turned around to head into town.

His chest hurt at the sight, and he felt himself mirror the gesture, only dropping it when Tifa turned around one last time to look at each and everyone one of them, her gaze resting on him for just a few seconds longer before finally leaving.

_What was that all about?_

Did she realize he was there?

"So, this is Nibelheim, huh?" Zack asked, pulling Cloud out of his thoughts. "Looks pretty cozy."

"Yeah, just...don't run around and cause a scene?"

Zack looked taken aback for a moment. "Wha—I would never!"

"Really?" Cloud shot back, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice. "And what about that stunt in Costa del Sol?"

"Oh, come on! That was one time!"

"So how does it feel?" Sephiroth cut in. "To be back in your hometown?"

Cloud was surprised for a moment; he was being addressed by the great Sephiroth. He nibbled on his lip, but quickly managed to gather his composure.

"Kinda weird, I suppose. You know?"

Sephiroth chuckled in dry amusement. "I wouldn't know. I never had a hometown. The company has looked after me ever since I can remember."

He shook his head. "Either way, let's head in. Hmm, it sure is lively here."

Their squad walked past the gate and towards the local inn. The townspeople didn't pay them much mind outside of a friendly greeting. Like they didn't even care that the great Sephiroth himself arrived in town. If the SOLDIER was bothered by it, he didn't show it.

"We're going to stay here. Tomorrow we'll head up the mountain," Sephiroth said and started to head inside, but stopped just shy of the door, looking at Cloud again. "Oh, and you're allowed to visit your family and friends. Just make sure you're ready."

With that Sephiroth entered the building, followed by Cloud's fellow trooper, Duncan.

"So, ya gonna follow his advice?" Zack asked him, putting a hand on his waist. Cloud's eyes went to the ground.

"Not sure..."

"Come on. Nothing good will come from staying away, you know?"

"I guess you're right." He could at least pay his mother a visit. His eyes reached Zack's once again. "So what are you gonna do?"

"Probably walk around for a bit. Ass is still kinda sore from all the sitting. Oh!" He pulled out his phone. "And call my girlfriend. Should let her know I arrived safely."

"See you later then. And remember, don't make a scene," Cloud reminded him before leaving, chuckling to himself as Zack glared at him in mock offense. He wished he could be like Zack all the time. Popular and successful. Maybe then Tifa—

He shook his head. No use thinking about it now.

Pretending to be out patrolling, Cloud made his way over to his house and waited for the right moment to discreetly sneak inside.

Unbeknownst to him, a pair of carmine eyes had been watching his every move.

Inside, Cloud's nose immediately inhaled the familiar smell of his mother's cooking. Something that filled him with dread and joy alike, because while his mother put her entire heart into it, she wasn't a very good cook.

His mother, Claudia, turned around at the sound of someone entering their house and blinked in confusion upon seeing a Shinra trooper inside her house.

"Oh, hello. You must be one of the people sent here to check out the reactor," she said in an almost jovial tone, as if a stranger didn't just barge into her house. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Ah—" Cloud hesitated for a moment, before setting his jaw and removing his helmet, his fiesty blond spikes fanning out from beneath it. "I'm...home, mom."

Claudia's eyes widened for a second, then a huge smile split her face, and she all but ran towards him to gather him into a tight hug. "Oh my—Cloud!"

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, as he was nearly knocked off his feet by the force she was applying. "Easy there."

"Let me take a good look at you!" she said after releasing him again, one of her hands moving to cup his cheek. "You've grown so handsome. Where has my cute little boy gone?"

"Mom..." Cloud felt a blush of embarrassment creep onto his face.

"Hmm." His mom took in the rest of his appearance. "So is this a SOLDIER uniform?"

He lowered his head and released a sigh. "No, it's not," he admitted. "I'm not in SOLDIER."

Claudia simply gave him a smile and gathered him into another hug. "What matters is that you're back. Come, I'm almost done. You look like they barely feed you."

"The company takes care of me," Cloud said as he sat down at the table.

"My point still stands."

A small chuckle escaped him. His mom was still the same. Maybe a bit more cheerful than usual?

He was having a hard time not being swept up by her cheerfulness, and he was soon smiling as well as they ate.

"You know what, Cloud?" his mother said after they were done with the food and he had laid down on his bed to relax. "I think you should find yourself a nice girl. One that can take care of you."

"Mom," he groaned out. "I don't want a girlfriend."

That was an absolutely blatant lie. He wanted a girlfriend, desperately. One particular girl, in fact. But he was too embarrassed to admit it.

"I disagree. I think it's time for you to settle down, since this SOLDIER thing clearly didn't work out." He winced at her words.

Claudia frowned and released a sigh before sitting down on the edge of the bed and resting her hand on his forehead.

"I'm sorry. I know this was something you've been dreaming of. But remember, you'll always be my son, regardless if you were a SOLDIER or a lowly farmhand," she told him. "And any girl that truly loves you will feel the same."

After saying those words, she rose back onto her feet to clean the dishes. He knew she meant well, but how was he supposed to ever get Tifa's attention like this?

"Oh, by the way," his mother said. "Tifa came over yesterday and we talked a little. She sure has grown to be quite lovely."

_Tifa was here!? Why!?_ As much as he wanted to ask her this, he couldn't form the words.

"Her father is out of town for the day and I thought I'd save her some time and made some additional bread. Could you be a dear and bring it over when you head out again?"

"I—" Fear coursed through him. He didn't exactly want to face Tifa right now, but he couldn't exactly say no to his mom. "...Alright."

At least his mother's bread was very edible. Climbing out of bed, he patiently waited while his mother prepared a basket, putting on his helmet once again in the meantime. He would just sneak in, put the bread on the kitchen table, and out again.

After handing him the basket, Claudia accompanied him to the door. "Cheer up, dear. The mountain is happy to see one of His flock return."

Cloud led out a snort. "Aren't you laying it on a bit thick with the old ways now?"

His mother just laughed and gently rubbed his shoulders before pushing him out of the door. Once outside, Cloud stood there for a moment, looking around the square. It was much emptier now than earlier, the townsfolk having gone back home for their suppers.

As he looked around, his eyes fell onto something not far from the old Shinra mansion. The remains of what looked like a bonfire. A brow quirked up under his helmet.

_Did they celebrate something?_ he wondered, which in turn made him wonder if there was a town festival that he must've forgotten about. He began checking off local holidays; there was one a couple of days ago, but rarely ever celebrated. The Autumnal Equinox.

But why did they celebrate it this year?

All of a sudden, the world started to spin for a moment, making him take a step back as a vision entered his mind. It was the middle of the night, everyone was dancing, smiling and laughing as food and drink were shared while the bonfire was burning, illuminating the town with its large flame. Amongst the cheer there was a name everyone was calling.

"N...Nibl—" Cloud gasped as the vision vanished and the world started to stand still again.

_What the hell was that!?_ He looked around once again, trying to calm himself. His eyes landed on Zack, standing near the water tower, his back facing Cloud while talking to someone on the phone. From his body language it must be his girlfriend.

_**Ce...tra...**_ he heard something from behind him, making him whirl around. But nothing was there. It was then that Zack seemed to notice him and turned around, throwing a cheerful grin and a little wave, before responding to something on his cellphone.

Releasing a sigh, Cloud straightened his back. _I must be tired. Yeah, that's gotta be it._

Making sure the bread was alright, and that nobody was watching, Cloud walked next door and, after a moment of hesitation, snuck inside after checking if the door was unlocked. He held his breath, listening for the sound of someone else in the house, but exhaled in relief when he heard nothing.

He headed into the kitchen and carefully placed the basket on top of the table. After having done so, he was about to head back out, but he halted in his tracks, his eyes landing on the stairs. If Tifa wasn't around…

Cloud swallowed hard as he took a step towards the stairs, followed by another, and another, until his feet carried him upstairs almost of their own volition. Her door was wide open, as if to invite him inside, and he found himself unable to resist the temptation to enter the room he had only been inside once before.

As soon as he had entered her room, an almost sweet scent invaded his nostrils, sparking a little flame inside him that warmed his entire body in the most pleasant ways. He stood there for a moment to take it in, before his curiosity was set ablaze and he found himself looking around.

It looked pretty much the same as the last time he had seen the room, short time that it was. If he had to name a difference, it was the small assortment of cosmetic products now resting on the small table in front of the mirror.

Something lying on her desk caught his attention. A letter. He knew that he shouldn't read other people's letters, but there was a little voice in the back of his mind that told him he should do it.

It was written by the son of the general store owner, one of the boys that had always hung out with Tifa back in the day. At first he had felt a little smug over how _he_ managed to land a job with Shinra and didn't have to squat down in the slums to get by, but the more and more he read he felt a green eyed monster coiling itself around his heart until he was left shaking in anger. It took every fibre of his being to not rip the letter to shreds.

Releasing a breath, he put it back where he had found it. Next his eyes landed on her wardrobe. He already hated himself for what he was about to do, but the urge was almost impossible to resist, and he was _weak_. Weak from personal failure, from loneliness. He opened her wardrobe and looked through the drawers until he had found her underwear.

His tongue darted out to wet his dry lips, shaking hands reaching out to take a pair of panties. It was a very mature set, hardly something a girl from an area such as this would usually wear, all lace and enticing. Cloud's mind immediately wandered to envisioning Tifa, all prettied up and wearing nothing but this little garment.

His body's reaction, still very much going through puberty, was instantaneous, and one of his hands moved down to claw at the front of his pants while he buried his nose into the fabric of the panties. This was as close to Tifa as he would ever get.

He wanted, no, he needed...

"Found something you like?" a voice startled him. Immediately, he dropped the garment and turned to find none other than Tifa standing in the doorway, her arms crossed in front of her chest. His hormone driven mind immediately took notice of how _nice_ the top that she decided to wear today looked.

"I—Uh—this isn't—" He found himself stammering, his brain short-circuiting at the sight of her. Tifa just gave him an unreadable look, before closing the door behind her and walking towards him. Cloud found himself backing away with every step she took, until his back was against the wall. Her hands moved towards his helmet, and Cloud moved his own to stop her, but found them slapped away with a speed he had never thought she possessed, leaving him unable to stop her from taking off the only thing that kept hidden who he was.

"I knew it," Tifa breathed out.

Cloud lowered his head in shame. Not only found to not be a SOLDIER like he had promised to become, but also caught while being a creep. She must hate him now.

All the more surprised he was, when instead of receiving a sound slap, Cloud found himself gathered in a tight embrace.

"Cloud. I knew you would come," she whispered into his ear. A strangled noise escaped him as he felt her oh so close to him now. All on their own, his arms moved around her to return the hug. But why?

"I've felt your presence," she told him, like she had read his mind. "And I know you've felt it too. That _pull_."

To his own amazement, he managed to nod. "Yeah."

Something weird was going on, Cloud knew that now. This strange feeling of belonging, despite the dread about being found out; the cheerfulness of his mother and the other townsfolk; the absolute lack of monsters even though the reports had mentioned them becoming more aggressive due to the reactor malfunction.

And then there was that vision minutes ago.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Tifa pulled back, a bright smile on her face, and she moved a hand to cup his cheek.

"He has returned," she stated like it was the most natural thing. "Our god."

A sharp pain shot through his mind as the vision of a cave flashed before his eyes, a young couple standing in front of an altar, an oddly dressed priest standing with them. And behind them, a statue. A perverted grotesquery of man, spider and goat, the materia inside it glowing brightly.

"_The mountain is happy to see one of His flock return."_ His mother's words echoed inside his mind. The mountain. The one that protects and provides. As his eyes found Tifa's, he said the name that he nearly uttered earlier.

"Niblrung."

And the fog over his mind vanished, replaced with a clarity he had never felt before in his life. Their god had returned, and now Cloud had returned as well. He was home, under the loving shadow of the mountain.

Slowly, he returned the smile, and leaned down to touch his forehead with hers. "I'm sorry I never made SOLDIER. This was all I was good for."

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that you're back."

"But our promise—"

"All I ever wanted was to see you again. Being my hero was always just a bonus," she said. "For years it's been you, and you alone, ever since—"

"That day on the mountain," he finished. He could feel it, too, now. They had chosen one another that fateful day, under the watchful eye of the mountain.

"Cloud..." Tifa murmured, the lower half of her face inching closer. Cloud met her halfway, pressing their lips together in a soft kiss that set all of his nerves ablaze. Finally, after so many years of longing...

Tifa sighed into the kiss, pressing herself even closer to him while tangling her fingers into his spiky hair. It didn't take long for their lip lock to grow heated, tongues brushing against one another to explore this newfound intimacy to its fullest. He didn't resist as Tifa pulled him backwards, guiding him towards her bed.

He blinked when Tifa broke the kiss, and was about to ask if he had done something wrong, when she suddenly made a grab for his hands, whirled them around and used her weight to push him down onto the mattress.

"Wow..." was all he could manage as she smirked down on him while placing her legs on either side of him.

"Master Zangan taught me a lot. I'm not just some helpless country girl anymore," she told him, letting go of his hands to undo his uniform jacket. Once open, Tifa didn't waste any time to explore a little, pushing her hands underneath his shirt to trace the muscles that two years of training had formed there. "You weren't exactly idle, either."

"No time to slack off," Cloud said, using his free hand to roam her body as well, eventually coming to rest on her behind and giving it a firm squeeze. A soft cooing sound escaped her and she started to grind herself against him, throwing her head back while he closed his eyes at the sensation. He hissed as her nails dug deep into skin, mixing pain with pleasure.

"Cloud, look at me," he heard her say through a shuddering breath, and he opened his eyes once more to find himself looking into pools of black, a set of four glowing amber dots staring back at him gently. A tingle let Cloud know that his eyes looked very much the same right now. It felt so...right. They were beautiful. Eyes of the mountain.

He pinched the finger of his glove and pulled it away, then brought it to cup her cheek as tiny tears rolled down them. She smiled at him, her slowly parting, rosy lips revealing to him two little fangs. "Ek elska þik."

"Me, too," he whispered back. She leaned down to kiss him once, then pulled back again to move her hand to her top. In one smooth motion, she pulled it down, revealing herself to him, to feast his eyes upon her. And so he did, committing the absolute vision of beauty that she was to memory, before pulling her back down towards him.

Lips touching and hands roaming, they showed each other the depths of their love as they finally, after years of waiting and hoping, got lost into one another.

* * *

Cloud awoke the next morning to the sound of the birds chirping in the trees, a groan escaping him. His body was a little sore after yesterday. Cracking an eye open, he saw Tifa resting her head on his chest, already wide awake and watching him.

"Mornin'," he murmured.

"Morning," she giggled back.

"...How late is it?"

"Still early. It's not yet time to leave for the reactor."

"Ah, good," he murmured, then closed his eyes again to get a bit more sleep.

_Wait, the reactor?_

"Oh, shit!" he swore and shot up, almost pushing Tifa off the bed. "I completely forgot!"

He was about to jump out of bed when two hands placed themselves on his shoulders and pulled him back down. "Relax. Like I said, we still got time. Let's enjoy the moment. I'm sure they won't mind."

Technically, he probably should have reported back in the evening, but as he laid down once more, he found that he didn't really care. The harm was already done, anyway. Tifa ran a hand over his chest and planted a kiss on the small bite mark on his neck, the sensation causing a pleasant shiver to run through him, before she snuggled up to him again. The two of them remained like that for a while longer, just enjoying the closeness and talking about this and that, until they sadly had to get out of bed.

After putting their clothes back on, which was harder than one would think because they couldn't stop kissing each other, they left her room and headed downstairs. Inside the kitchen was Brian Lockhart, Tifa's father, reading the newspaper while having a cup of coffee. Dread returned to Cloud's mind at the sight of the man that had never liked him ever since that day on the mountain.

"Good morning," Tifa greeted her father, walking over to him to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. The man smiled at his daughter and greeted her back. His smile dropped immediately once he noticed who else was there.

"Sir," Cloud stiffly greeted while trying to swallow his nervousness.

Brian glared daggers at him, his mouth set in a straight line, and Cloud could do nothing but stare back. Tifa, in the meantime, started to work on breakfast for the three of them, humming a cheerful tune to herself as she gathered the ingredients. After a while, Brian let out a huff and returned to reading his newspaper. "Welcome to the family, son."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Cloud walked towards the table and sat down. Today was gonna be busy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - Zack**

Releasing a huge yawn, Zack stepped outside the hotel and headed towards their appointed meeting place in front of the old Shinra mansion. Sephiroth had gone ahead while he was still having breakfast, a tad bit more distracted than usual, rubbing his temple like he was nursing a headache.

Maybe he just slept badly?

He seemed pretty worried yesterday when they found out that the entire town had no power, muttering to himself how the reactor must be in worse shape than the reports had said. Country boy that he was, Zack wasn't exactly worried about having to rough it for a couple of days without power. Sure, their phones might run out of juice for a while, but perhaps someone here had a fuel generator they could get running?

"Good morning," one of the townspeople greeted him with a friendly tone. Zack smiled and waved back. So far, this place was really nice. Reminded him of Gongaga, just a little different. Though there was a part of him that was weirded out by their cheer, given the situation the town was in...But who was he to judge? Gongaga could be plenty weird as well.

As he walked up to the mansion, he could see Sephiroth talking to the mayor while their other trooper, Duncan, stood off to the side, looking downright bored.

_Huh, where's Cloud?_ he wondered. He hadn't shown up at the hotel yesterday evening and they all just assumed he slept at his own place. But he was usually an early riser and quite over-punctual, something his superiors definitely took notice of, so it was odd that he wasn't here already.

"We're still waiting for the guide," Sephiroth said to him as he approached. "I heard she's young, so I hope she's reliable."

As if on cue, footsteps started to approach them, and Zack turned around to not only see Cloud head towards them, but also that girl that had asked him if there were any blond guys in SOLDIER, Tifa. Were they holding hands?

_Oooh!_ A figurative lightbulb appeared over his head. So she was asking about Cloud. He couldn't help but grin, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he did so. _Looks like someone mustered up his courage. Great going, Cloud!_

He was happy for his friend. Cloud was a hard worker and had a good heart. He deserved some happiness, and right about now the two of them looked very happy.

"Sorry for being late," Tifa said after they arrived, letting go of Cloud's hand. "I'm your guide."

"Eh!?" Zack exclaimed. "You're the guide, Tifa?"

"Mhm." She nodded. "I'm the best. And don't worry, I can take care of myself. Master Zangan trained me personally."

"Oh, you mean the old guy that left earlier?" Zack asked. He had seen the man leave while he was still eating, saying something about there still being other people that were in need of his guidance.

"Yeah. He has students all over the world. It's a great honor to be trained by him."

"Wow. That's pretty amazing."

"I don't want to be rude, but I think it's time that we'd be on our way," Sephiroth interjected.

"Sephiroth..." Brian said.

"Don't worry, she'll be safe and sound." Another man approached then. "Hm?"

"I'm sorry, but could I perhaps take a photo of you?" he asked and Zack only noticed now that he was holding a camera. A look of quiet amusement formed on Sephiroth's face.

"Why don't we make it a group photo?" he asked, gesturing in the direction of the others.

"Sure!" the photographer said.

Shooting Cloud and Tifa a grin, Zack walked to stand in front of the gate. Tifa soon joined him, dragging Cloud with her and looping her arm through his. Sephiroth was the last to join, the look of amusement never leaving his face even as the photo was taken.

"Thank you!" the man said with a huge grin. "I'll make sure that everyone will receive a copy."

"Now with that out of the way," Sephiroth said, "I think it's time we leave."

"Alright. Let's go," Tifa said, then started to lead the way. With a grin, Zack nudged his friend's shoulder while he was busy putting his helmet back on, then followed after Tifa with Sephiroth and Duncan bringing up the rear.

Their track up Mt. Nibel was largely uneventful. No monsters seemed to approach them, something that made him actually more worried, because the reports had talked about an increase in aggressiveness in the local monster population. At least their guide didn't seem to be worried at all, and he noticed that Cloud, too, was awfully relaxed, if still a little on guard because it was his sweetheart leading the group. A small snicker escaped him. He really had to sit Cloud down after they were done.

"Alright, now we have to cross the bridge. Watch your step, it's a long way down," Tifa warned before walking ahead. Zack shrugged and let Cloud walk ahead of him, following close by. He could tell the bridge had seen better days already, but it should still be able to hold all five of them.

Or so he thought, as all of a sudden, the entire bridge started to shake and a curse from behind him made him turn around just in time to see the ropes holding it snap. Tifa let out a surprised yelp as the bridge started to collapse under their feet, Cloud making a dive for her to grasp her hand and hold themselves on one of the wooden planks like the rest of them, but to no avail. They soon plummeted into the depths of the mountain.

…

…

…

Slowly, Zack came to once more, groaning as he slowly pushed himself back to his feet. Cloud and Tifa were lying nearby, rising to their feet as well. None of them looked worse for wear and, after inspecting himself, neither was he. He let out a sigh of relief before noticing that they were missing two people.

"Yo, Sephiroth! Where are ya?" he called out.

"Over here," was the instant reply, followed by Sephiroth appearing from behind a huge rock. "I see you're all alright."

"Hmm, still missing someone," Zack pointed out. Duncan was nowhere to be found.

"Unfortunately, we can't afford to go looking for him. Let's focus on the mission for now and search for him afterwards," Sephiroth said.

"I'm sure he's fine," Tifa said reassuringly.

"Yeah." Cloud nodded. "The mountain watches over anyone crossing it."

"Certainly watched over us," Zack replied, looking up to where the bridge had once been. That had been quite the fall.

"How far is it from here to the reactor?" Sephiroth asked Tifa.

"Hmm...We have to go through the mountain, so a couple of hours," she replied.

"Fine. Let's go."

The group continued on their journey, which was easier said than done because as it turned out, Mt. Nibel was a veritable maze. If not for Tifa's guidance, he was pretty sure they would have gotten lost more than once.

They took a little break at the Mako fountain they encountered along the way, where Zack had promptly earned himself a lecture about the nature of Materia from Sephiroth, much to his chagrin and to the amusement of Cloud.

It was in the middle of said lecture that Zack felt like they were being watched, but when he turned around he didn't see anyone.

"Something the matter?" Cloud asked him.

Zack looked around for another second, before shaking his head. "I think I'm getting cave fever."

"Well we've been in here for quite a while," Cloud pointed out. "Probably best if we get going."

"It's not much further. Just through these caves and we'll come out on the other side of the reactor," Tifa said. With that, their group continued onward. Like she said, they soon arrived at the reactor, and as they approached the building Zack could already tell the power plant had shut down.

"Well, this isn't good," Zack commented.

"Hm. Let's go inside to assess the damage," Sephiroth said calmly before they ascended the metal stairs. "Oh!"

Turning around on his heel, he looked at Tifa. "Sorry, I'll have to ask you to remain outside. Company secrets."

"That's alright," the girl replied evenly.

"Just keep her company, Cloud!" Zack said with a grin, before following Sephiroth inside. They had barely stepped into the inner part when Zack already saw that the entire place was completely busted. Gears and cables were ripped out of walls, the only thing illuminating the area being the faint glow of Mako from underneath. Heading deeper inside it only got worse and worse, and Zack had to pull out his phone to illuminate the way.

"Looks like this place got trashed," Zack said as they stepped into a chamber with a stairway leading up to another room. Everything was destroyed. He couldn't even tell what this room was supposed to be for. "Think it was sabotage?"

"You mean the villagers?" Sephiroth asked, looking around. He didn't like the thought, but it was a possibility. But—

"Why report it, then?" Zack asked.

Sephiroth chuckled. "Exactly. I doubt it was them. Look."

He pointed towards the doorway the stairs were leading to. The solid steel door belonging to it had been ripped out of the wall and thrown across the chamber. Zack took a few steps up and looked closer.

"Claw marks?"

"Looks like it."

"So you're telling me a monster made its way inside, trashed the entire place and headed back out?" Zack asked, scratching the back of his head. "Awfully smart."

"Well, we have seen some smart monsters in the past," Sephiroth commented as he walked up the stairs and into the chamber above, emerging a couple of minutes later. "Completely destroyed as well. More claw marks."

"So, let me get this straight: the reactor malfunctions, causing the monsters in the area to go wild. Then one of them, a big one at that, finds the reactor and goes on a rampage inside?"

"There are dragons living in the area. Maybe it sensed what was driving it into aggression. But yes, this seems to be the most likely cause. The villagers wouldn't have the means to do any of this," Sephiroth concluded with a scoff. "I'm sure that walking complex, Hojo, is going to find this report very fascinating."

Zack grimaced. He had encountered the man only once but that had been more than enough to realize what a piece of work the head of Scientific Research was.

"So, what now?"

"Now we return to town. Nothing we can do here other than report back to the company. This is a job for engineers, not SOLDIER."

"Guess you're right."

"We'll stay a couple of more days just to make sure everything's alright, then report back to HQ."

After looking around some more, just to be certain, the two of them headed back. They had nearly made it outside, when Sephiroth let out a groan and held his head.

"You okay?" Zack asked.

"Yeah just...something..." Sephiroth replied before losing his footing.

"Wow!" Zack jumped forward and took hold of the other man's shoulders. "Careful there. Seems like you're not okay at all."

"I'm fine," he insisted, but Zack was having none of it and put his arm around his shoulders.

"Come on, let's go back. Seems like even the great Sephiroth gets sick once in a while," Zack chuckled, making the other SOLDIER scoff.

Outside, Cloud and Tifa were still waiting for them. Zack's eyebrows shot up in surprise when he took note of Tifa trying to smooth down her hair a little. _Keeping company indeed._

"Everything alright?" Cloud asked when he saw Sephiroth. "You look kinda pale, sir."

"Guess I just need to lie down for a bit once we get back."

"Better not waste any time. Guess we'll have to come later to look for our lost buddy, huh Cloud?"

"I'll tell my father. He and some of the men from town are sure to find him," Tifa said.

"That would be appreciated."

Thus began their slow descent down the mountain. The party headed back the way they came from and navigated the caves, and it had to be late afternoon by the time they managed to find the path that would lead them back to town. As they climbed down, Zack noticed another path leading into a different direction. Had that been there before?

And there it was again, that feeling of being watched from earlier. He couldn't be imagining this, right? Almost like—

"Zack." Cloud poked his shoulder to get his attention, giving him a stern look that he wasn't used to seeing on his friend's face. "The town's that way."

"Uh, yeah, sorry." Zack gave him an embarrassed grin, before continuing on their way down.

Once they arrived in town, Zack walked Sephiroth to the hotel. He hadn't had another dizzy spell, but he still didn't look too chipper, so better safe than sorry, he reckoned.

"Ah, welcome back," the proprietor said in a friendly tone, before frowning at the sight of Sephiroth. "Is everything alright?"

"I guess I'm just tired," Sephiroth admitted almost reluctantly.

"Well, you have been gone for an awfully long time, so it's best if you rest up. I'll tell my wife to fix you up some of her famous soup. That'll get ya back in shape."

"Mhm," Sephiroth hummed and headed upstairs. Zack watched him, a frown on his face.

"So, how did it go?" the innkeeper asked him after Sephiroth was out of sight.

"Uh, might be a while until this place is going to have power again, I'm afraid. Looks pretty bad," Zack told him truthfully. "I should call HQ about the repairs."

"Ah, well it can wait until tomorrow, I'm sure. It's already getting late. Meanwhile, we're just gonna pretend it's the old days again." he said jokingly, making Zack chuckle.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right..." He didn't have to call them up just yet. Besides, he was kinda beat as well. "So what was that about a soup?"

"Ha! Man after my own heart." The innkeeper grinned. "Just let me talk with my wife."

Later that evening, Zack settled down to a bowl of the mentioned soup, before checking on Sephiroth, who had gone to bed early after only eating half of his own offered meal. He seemed to be in a deep but fitful sleep, and Zack felt it best not to bother him, so he took a little walk around town. His feet carried him towards the Shinra mansion, standing there in all its dilapidated splendor. Or at least what was left of it from having been empty for decades now it seemed. It was hard to believe that people from Shinra actually lived in this area in the past.

The sound of steps made him turn right, and a huge grin appeared on his face when he saw Mr. Lockhart and a few other townsmen returning with Duncan, looking no worse for the wear. "Hey, you made it!" he called out and walked towards them.

"Must've had a guardian spirit or something, sir. Only got knocked out. These people found me," Duncan said.

"Thanks!" Zack shot Mr. Lockhart a grin, who only shook his head.

"The mountain watched over him, as He does everyone that means no harm," the mayor replied. "But it's getting late."

After waving the group off, and telling their formerly missing trooper to try and be quiet as Sephiroth was already sleeping, Zack continued on his way until he arrived at the edge of town. He looked out towards Mt. Nibel, his mind wandering to that other trail for some reason. It was almost like it...was calling him. But that was absurd.

He couldn't deny that the mountain was strange in a way. Just how it looked alone gave him the creeps, and the way the caves were arranged reminded him of an anthill. And then there was the whole thing with the reactor. _Weird._

A cold wind blew down from the mountain, making him shiver and rub his arms. _Better get back myself._

He was just walking down the path from the Shinra mansion when the sight of two people on the water tower made him stop. It was Cloud and Tifa, sitting close to each other, hands intertwined as they stared up at the starry sky. Zack, too, found his eyes drawn to the sky, and he was amazed how easily he could see the stars. He had almost forgotten what it looked like from the years he had spent in Midgar. Returning his eyes back to the young couple, he couldn't help but smile when he saw his friend leaning in to softly kiss the girl.

He had never seen him this happy before. Ironic, because he had been damn nervous before arriving here. Seeing Cloud with his girlfriend made him think of Aerith and how he wished she was here right now. He could do with a kiss or two as well.

A giggle escaped Tifa as Cloud's hand strayed downward, followed by her tangling her fingers into his spiky hair and pulling him into a much deeper kiss.

_Welp, that's my cue_, Zack thought and held up a hand to the side of his face to keep himself from spying any further on the private time of those two lovebirds. He sneaked past them and had just managed to open the door of the inn, when Tifa released a delightful little yelp that made him all but jump inside and slam the door shut.

"Jeez, get a room ya two," Zack muttered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Zack**

The next day, things had gotten worse with Sephiroth. When Zack woke up, the man was still sleeping, which was odd in and of itself because he was the epitome of an early riser. On top of that he was still being restless in his sleep, mumbling something he couldn't understand at all. To see the most elite SOLDIER he knew in such a state worried him.

He headed downstairs immediately, telling the innkeeper, who in turn called the local doctor. The doctor, an older man, inspected Sephiroth carefully, before turning to Zack.

"Hmm, looks like a case of Natta fever," the doctor said.

"Is that good or bad?" Zack asked, worried frown never leaving his face.

"Would be bad if he was a child. Travelers sometimes catch it while passing through the area," he told him while putting away his things. "It's relatively harmless in adults, just dramatic. A side effect of it is strong fever dreams though, but he'll be fine with enough rest, so don't you worry."

Zack released a sigh of relief. He was still worried, but knowing it wasn't overly dangerous put his mind somewhat at ease. Sephiroth had planned to stay a couple of days to make sure the town was alright, anyway. _Guess he'll be spending that time in bed._

Then, the true horror hit him. He would have to write and send the report!

So he spent most of the morning typing out the report in meticulous detail on his phone, something he always hated doing. His fingers would occasionally hit the wrong letter, he would mumble a curse, correct it, and go on his way. Once he was done, Zack let out a little victory cry and pressed 'send', but the only answer he got was: _Connection error_.

"Huh?" He pressed 'send' again. Same result. He then checked his phone's connection and saw that he didn't have a signal. _That's weird. Maybe I should try outside._

But the signal wasn't any better there. Which was weird, because he had called Aerith the day they arrived. Looking up at the sky, there was not a single cloud in the sky that might cause it. What was going on?

Just as Zack was mulling over that fact, he saw Duncan return from his patrol. "Yo!" he called out. "I got no connection. Can you check your phone real quick?"

"Hmm?" Duncan pulled out his own phone and checked the display. "Huh, you're right. Strange. Maybe one of the cell towers is shot? Try the truck."

"Good idea." Following Duncan's advice, Zack headed over to their truck and switched on the radio. Static. Well, that sucked. But there was nothing they could do about it.

_Take it as a little vacation then,_ a small part of him said in the back of his mind. Drumming his fingers on the armature, Zack switched the radio off again and headed back into town. Duncan was standing near the water tower, having a friendly chat with one of the villagers.

"So Midgar must be pretty interesting," the villager, a woman, said. If Zack had to guess, she was about ten years older than himself.

"Yeah. But if you've lived there all your life I suppose it gets kinda repetitive," Duncan replied. "Have to admit I quite like the quiet atmosphere here. Less hectic, you know?"

The woman giggled. "Oh, I know exactly what you mean."

The corner of Zack's lips rose into a small smirk and he clapped the trooper on the shoulder. "Yo. Seen anything unusual, soldier?"

Duncan immediately straightened up out of reflex, but relaxed when he saw it was just him. "No, sir. Everything's calm."

Zack chuckled. "How about I take over then and you take a break?"

"Well, if you don't mind, sir."

"Wouldn't offer if I didn't."

"Alright. Thank you, sir," Duncan said.

The woman, having watched the exchange, focused her eyes on Duncan once more. "Now that you're free, how about I tell you about some of our customs?"

"Uh, sure!"

As he watched the two leave, Zack had to chuckle. He then stretched a little before walking off in no particular direction to go on patrol. Well, patrol was stretching it, because through the entirety of their stay they didn't encounter a single monster in the area. Like something was keeping them away.

_Yeah, right,_ he scoffed internally.

And just like he expected, his 'patrol' turned out to be uneventful save for a few passing villagers coming up to chat with him. After a while, Zack got bored enough to decide to explore the nearby woods instead. Maybe it was because he grew up in a wooded area himself, but being surrounded by trees as far as the eye could see always managed to put him at ease.

He closed his eyes, a wide smile on his face as he simply let his feet guide him while listening to the calming tune the wind played in the rustling leaves.

It almost felt like he was home again.

_Skritch skritch skritch_

The snap of a twig made Zack whirl around, his hand going to the hilt of the Buster Sword. Narrowing his eyes, he looked around to find...nothing. _What in the—!?_

Setting his jaw, he slowly relaxed his stance and turned around to continue his walk, this time keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sign that he was being followed. Another sound, and he turned around once again, Buster Sword now fully drawn and looking directly at the tree the sound had come from.

"No use hidin', I heard ya!" he called out. He counted the seconds in his mind, giving his follower to the count of ten to reveal himself. Just as he was about to dash forward, it revealed itself…

A tiny rabbit hopped out from behind the tree, breathing quickly and slamming one of its hind paws on the ground in a clear sign of agitation. Breathing out through his nose, Zack lowered his sword and chuckled. "Don't scare me like that, buddy."

The little animal watched him carefully for a few more seconds, then made to get the hell away from him. With a small shake of his head, Zack put the sword on his back once more and walked backwards, watching as the rabbit scuttled away—

"Hmm?"

—and felt something tickle the back of his head. He turned around, only to get a face full of leaf littered silk. He let out a surprised yelp, causing some of it to get into his mouth. Spitting, he tried to move away, only to get his hand caught in it as well. He twisted around, almost like he was doing a silly dance, then fell backwards onto his butt.

He managed to pull some of the silk away from his face, shaking his hand to get fully rid of it while looking at the remains of what looked to be a spider web. A huge ass spider web. It Spanned between two trees.

_What the hell?_ he wondered, rubbing his gloved hand on the ground, before getting back to his feed. He spent the next couple of minutes dusting himself off to make sure there wasn't any spider silk left on him, then went to inspect the web more closely. This was nothing a normal sized spider could ever manage.

The longer he looked at it, the heavier that weird feeling in the pit of his stomach became. Something about this seriously unnerved him. How large would a spider have to be to make a web this huge?

He checked his surroundings for any sign of a huge, eight legged monstrosity; he even looked up into the crowns of the trees, but found absolutely nothing. Zack didn't know what was worse to be honest. A shiver went down his spine.

He...had to warn the villagers.

With that, Zack hastened back towards the village, a sort of single minded pursuit having taken over. As he ran past the trees he could faintly hear it again.

_Skritch skritch skritch_

Deep down inside him that sound frightened him.

As he returned to Nibelheim, he was almost surprised to run into Cloud first. He was dressed more casually, wearing a simple shirt and pants that actually made him look like the country boy he was.

"There you are. I was looking for you," he said to Zack as he came to a halt in front of him. Seeing his slightly out of breath nature, Cloud tilted his head questioningly. "You okay?"

"Spiders," was all Zack managed to say for a moment, before taking a calming breath. "I was checking out the woods and saw a huge spider web. Nothing a regular spider could produce. We gotta warn the villagers to stay out of there until we've cleared it out."

Cloud's only response was: "Oh."

"What do you mean, 'Oh'?" Zack frowned.

"Well, that's nothing new. We've had that for a long time." Cloud shrugged. "They're harmless. Annoying at worst when you stumble into one of their webs. Humans are too big for them, so they're afraid of us."

Zack blinked. "...Oh."

So this was normal?

"Well now I feel stupid," he said with a sigh.

His friend chuckled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I probably should've told about some of our weirder stuff before we came here. Anyway, like I said I was looking for you."

"Uh, what for?"

"Want to come over for dinner tonight? My mother would really like to meet you."

Zack hesitated for a moment. Sephiroth was still unwell, but the doctor had assured him he would be fine and the innkeeper would check up on him from time to time. Besides, a home cooked meal always sounded enticing.

"Sure!"

Cloud grinned a little and clapped his shoulder before pulling his hand back. "She's not the best of cooks, but Tifa'll be there to help, so it should be alright."

"Well that's reassuring. Huh?" Zack's eyes traveled towards the edge of Cloud's shirt, barely hiding a small bruise on his neck. His eyes narrowed and a knowing grin crossed his face. "What's that?"

Cloud's eyes darted downwards, and he put a hand over the blemish as his face grew red. "I-it's nothing!"

"Man, you and Tifa have been busy!" Zack snickered a little.

The young trooper stammered some more before shaking his head. "Uh, right. Well, I'll see ya tonight." With that Cloud turned around and walked down the road, beginning to hum a little tune to himself.

_He really had cheered up over the short time we've been here,_ Zack thought to himself with a small smile. He made to follow his friend, but stopped in his tracks to give the woods one last look, the expression on his face turning into a frown.

Another shudder went through him and he shook himself a little, before finally following Cloud. _Guess every rural place has some weird stuff._

He knew Gongaga had.

His time before dinner was spent largely alternating between exercising and checking on Sephiroth, who seemed to go in and out of sleep all the time. The innkeeper reassured him that it was quite normal. He could only take his word for it.

It was already quite dark outside when he knocked on the door of the Strife household, the sound of a generator chugging in the background. The door was opened by a woman that looked to be in her thirties, her blonde hair pulled into a messy ponytail and the smile on her face growing wider when she saw him.

"Hello! You must be Zack. Cloud told me a lot about you, please, come in," she said to him.

"Thanks for having me," Zack replied after he stepped inside. "Uh..."

"Claudia."

"Claudia, alright."

"I hope you have a healthy appetite, we have a lot of stew tonight. I hope you don't mind?"

"You kidding? I could kill for a good stew right now." Nothing against the food at the inn, but there was nothing like a nice home cooked stew made with love.

Claudia giggled. "Good to know. You can sit down at the table with Cloud."

As he stepped deeper inside, he saw Cloud sitting at said table, raising his hand to greet him, while Tifa was busying herself in front of the stove.

"Hey," Zack called out. Tifa turned to him with a bright smile. Unlike the day she was guiding them through the mountain, she was wearing a pretty blue dress and white sandals.

"Hello!"

"Mmh, smells delicious," Zack said after sitting down. "I didn't know you could cook."

"Well, I'm only really helping," Tifa replied, moving a little to the side to let Claudia take over. "But I know a thing or two about cooking. Have to, because my father is terrible when it comes to those kinda things. I think he doesn't even know the difference between a cauliflower and broccoli sometimes."

"…What _is_ the difference?" Cloud asked after a moment, handing Zack something to drink.

Tifa blinked, then let out a brilliant laugh. She walked over to him and planted a little kiss on his cheek. "I'll teach you later."

He blushed, but smiled nonetheless. "Uh, okay!"

Zack couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Well well, aren't you two all lovey-dovey. When's the wedding?"

He watched as the two became bright red and put some distance between themselves, Tifa moving back towards the stove to lend Claudia a hand, while Cloud brushed away some imaginary dust from the table.

"So do you have a girlfriend?" Claudia then asked him, turning her head to look at him.

"Yeah. Back in Midgar," Zack replied, raising his glass to take a sip.

"And are _you_ planning on marrying her?"

He spit out his drink, making all the others in the room laugh.

"I-I-why would I do that!?" he asked, feeling his face go beet red.

Claudia shrugged. "Well, you were asking my son so directly and I figured you might already have plans like that of your own."

Her expression then became a little disapproving. "But really, if you love her you shouldn't make her wait too long. A young woman's heart can be a fragile thing."

Marriage? Aerith and him?

He couldn't really picture it. No wait, he _could_, but wasn't it a bit early?

"I dunno. We're still pretty young..."

"I had Cloud when I was 17," Claudia said, prompting a "Moooooom" from Cloud. "I'm just saying: it's not wrong to _think_ about it and when you find your heart set, go for it. Love can be strong like that, am I wrong?"

The last part she asked Cloud and Tifa with a knowing smile.

"Now, this is about ready. Tifa, will you give me a hand here?"

"Yeah."

_Love, huh?_ Zack wondered while dinner was served. He loved Aerith. He really did. If he wasn't on this assignment he would probably be with her as much as possible. But to marry her?

His heart skipped a beat at the thought of Aerith in a pretty dress, with just a touch of makeup, and saying: "I do."

Thankfully, dinner talk steered away from the topic of marriage and instead had Claudia and Tifa ask him the usual questions of where he was from, what it was like there. Though he could tell Tifa was more interested in Cloud's stories from his time in Midgar and Junon, all places she's never been to. Well, and it was her boyfriend, so obviously a clear bias.

Dinner itself was just what he expected, a rich, filling meal that reminded him of home, and he found himself asking for two more helpings before he truly had his fill. After everyone was done, Zack found himself ushered outside together with Cloud while Claudia and Tifa took care of the dishes.

The two were sitting on the porch of the small backyard of the house. It had a little garden and a small set of swings that must've been unused for years now. Their eyes were focused on the stars above, shining brightly.

After a while of simple, quiet companionship, Cloud spoke up.

"I'm going to quit Shinra."

Zack looked at him in surprise. "But why?! Didn't you wanna join SOLDIER?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "But I know now that I won't make it in. I'm not like you, or Sephiroth. Besides, there was only one reason I wanted to become a SOLDIER..."

"What's that?" Zack found himself asking, but he already had some inkling of what, or who, it was.

"Tifa...Years ago I couldn't protect her and...I blamed myself for it. I wished I was stronger, that's when I learned of Sephiroth and SOLDIER and I wanted to be just like them. To protect her and to be noticed," Cloud told him. "But as it turns out, noticing me has never been the problem."

Cloud paused for a moment, staring up at the starry sky, before smiling. "I want to marry Tifa. But for that I can't be running around the world as a simple trooper. I need to be here and build a life with her."

Zack looked at his friend, before smiling and placing his hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"You really thought this through, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Well then go and get 'er." He gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "But don't forget to invite me to the wedding!"

At those words, Cloud let out a laugh. "You gotta be my Best Man."

"Great!" Zack pulled his hand back, jumped to his feet, then walked over to the swing. "Think this thing is still working?"

"Uh, I dunno."

"Only one way to find out then," Zack said and rubbed his hands together.

Turned out jumping on a kid's swing with a body of his size was not a good idea. It earned him an uncomfortable landing in the dirt, and an exasperated sigh from his best friend.

Once the ladies were done, the four of them talked for a bit more, before it was time for Zack to leave. After bidding them goodnight, he headed back towards the inn. It was already late and the lights were all out when he returned, so he did his best to remain silent as he walked upstairs.

The first thing he noticed was that Duncan wasn't there.

_Huh, where could he be?_

The next was Sephiroth. Sitting on a chair near the window and nursing a cup of tea.

"Sephiroth? Holy crap!" He stepped towards him. "You're better. Ha, I shoulda known some sickness wouldn't keep you down for long."

Sephiroth didn't respond to him at first. It didn't even look like he realized Zack was there. Eventually he asked: "What year is it?"

"Ehhh?" Zack blinked in confusion. "It's 0002. September 25th. You've been asleep for nearly two days."

"Two?" Sephiroth asked. "Just two, but—"

His cat-like eyes darted around as he started to mumble something in a language that Zack couldn't understand. He backed away a little when Sephiroth started shaking, the tea inside the cup sloshing around wildly as the man in front of him became more and more erratic.

Then, all of a sudden, Sephiroth sagged back in his seat, his eyes closing while letting out a deep breath.

"Sephiroth?" Zack asked, reaching out a hand to shake the other man, but before he could do so the elite SOLDIERs hand snapped up and caught his own.

"I...understand," Sephiroth said, opening his eyes again and looking at him calmly. He let go of Zack's hand and smiled. "Sorry. The...sickness isn't completely gone yet. I was told earlier there's some curious symptoms to it."

Zack looked at him. "You sure you're alright?"

"I will be, with more rest. And I think you should rest, too."

He stared at Sephiroth, feeling quite a bit unnerved at what happened just now. "You sure?"

"Mhm." Sephiroth nodded. "I'll just finish this."

He raised the tea cup demonstratively, like half its contents were spilled onto the floor. Something scratched at the back of his mind, telling him that something was very, very wrong here. But the words didn't come, and instead he looked deep into Sephiroth's mako eyes that returned his gaze calmly like he had always done.

Zack nodded. "Alright."

"Good night, then," Sephiroth said, returning his gaze towards the window. Zack sighed through his nose and made his way over to his bed, lying down on it and turning his back to the man. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out.

…

The next morning, Sephiroth was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - Cloud**

Cloud hummed to himself as he walked through the woods, holding a small basket filled with an assortment of herbs. It was early in the morning, and the sun had risen just a couple of minutes ago, and to be honest, he could do with a few more hours of sleep.

But He had given him task, and he wouldn't refuse. Niblrung wanted Zack under his graces, and Cloud could hardly disagree. Having his best friend live in Nibelheim with him was a dream come true!

Cloud kneeled on the ground and dug his hand into the loamy dirt, pulling out an oddly shaped, ruddy colored root, looking at it with a small grin before placing it into the basket with the herbs.

Sure, he might have to trick him _a little_, but in the end, Zack was sure to forgive him.

Besides, it was all for a good reason.

_**Cetra...**_ Cloud remembered back to when he had heard that name the day he saw Zack talking with his girlfriend over the phone. She needed to be kept safe, away from Midgar.

_That should be enough, _Cloud thought as he picked up some more herbs, then turned to head back. After their shared dinner, Cloud and Tifa had left his home to head out into the woods, knowing exactly what they would have to do the following morning.

As he entered the clearing where they had spent the night, he couldn't help but smile at the memory of the moonlight on Tifa's pale skin as soon as he spotted her, kneeling on the ground. Her pretty dress from yesterday had grass stains all over it, but it didn't seem to bother her at all as she was too busy with one of the _little helpers_, a Dugafel, her hand holding a container while her other one moved nimbly over its face as she milked some of its venom.

After she was done, Tifa smiled at the small half-spider/half-goat creature.

"This is such a large amount!" She patted the Dugafel's head. "With this much it's sure to kick in quickly."

The creature let out a few clicks and did a little jump. It then tilted its head to the side in a way to ask if there was anything else it could do.

"I think that oughta do," Cloud said as he approached them. "Thank you."

Doing a little twirl, the Dugafel clicked one last time before sauntering off.

"Got everything?" Tifa asked.

"Mhm." He nodded. "Zack has the tendency to sleep in when there's no immediate mission, but when he realizes that Sephiroth is gone he's bound to make a fuss. So we should probably return now."

"Well, he trusts you, doesn't he?"

He nodded. "Yeah. He does."

"Just tell him he went out on a walk to stretch his limbs after all that lying around." Tifa shrugged.

As uncomfortable as he was about lying to his friend, he knew it was the best way to put Zack at ease so that the plan would work. "I guess you're right. Hmm, does your father still have any dream powder?"

"He hasn't been in need of it since He returned, but yeah. Why?" She looked at him questioningly before her eyes lit up in understanding. "Ah, we're going to put him to sleep?"

"It's the easiest way."

"Then we should split up. I'll go on ahead and prepare _breakfast_."

"And I'll get everything to the cave," Cloud finished. Tifa smiled and leaned over to press a small kiss on his lips.

"See you soon," she said before leaving. He watched her depart with a smile of his own, and he released a happy little sigh, before gathering the venom and making his way towards Mt. Nibel.

When he arrived at the cave, he saw a small group of Dugafel gathered in front of it, discussing something among themselves. Noticing his presence, they turned around to greet him in their usual, cheerful way, and he raised his hand to greet them back. Before entering the cave, he turned towards them with a thoughtful expression.

"Could one of you perhaps contact a Fjallgætir?" he asked. "I'm afraid we might be in need of one later."

No matter what, Zack was still a SOLDIER 1st Class. He would resist more than a Dugafel might be able to handle, and he would rather not see one of them get hurt. One of the helpful creatures rubbed it's pedipalps together and rushed off.

After placing the venom, herbs and roots inside the cave, Cloud began his track back down towards town.

By the time he returned, Zack was already up and awake, frantically walking around the water tower with a note of panic in his eyes. As soon as he spotted Cloud, he ran over to him. "Cloud!"

"Hey, up bright and early today?"

Zack shook his head quickly. "Cloud! Listen, when I woke up Sephiroth was gone and none of the other townsfolk know where he went. Duncan hasn't been at the inn, either!"

"Whoa, whoa." Cloud lifted his hands in an effort to calm Zack down. "It's fine. Sephiroth is in the woods, taking a walk. He needed to stretch his limbs a little. As for Duncan, well, I saw him with Eliza Gatsem. They've been awfully cozy, y'know."

Zack stared at him for a long moment before closing his eyes and releasing a deep breath. He rubbed his hands over his face and Cloud noted how the tension in his shoulders was beginning to loosen.

"I nearly had a heart attack. I don't know why. Something's just been..._strange_ recently. Like a weird tingling in the back of my mind, you know?"

Cloud chuckled and clapped his friend's back. "It's most likely just the weather around these parts. We're in the mountains, after all. Come on, Tifa asked me to invite you over for breakfast."

Zack's stomach answered before he could. The two of them headed over to the Lockhart house. "Tifa, it's Zack and me!" he called out as they entered.

"In here," Tifa called back from the kitchen. As soon as they entered they were greeted by the sight of a hearty breakfast being prepared. "Morning Zack, hope you haven't eaten yet."

"Uh, no. Was kinda busy this morning," Zack answered sheepishly.

"Well, sit down then. I'm almost done here."

The two of them sat down at the table, having some light conversation while they waited for Tifa to finish their meals. Once done, she placed two plates in front of them and Cloud saw as Zack's eyebrows rose in surprise at how much larger his portion was.

"Figured after how much you ate yesterday you'd need a larger helping in the morning as well," Tifa said with a grin and a wink. Cloud, of course, knew the real reason for it being so much, but he did his best not to let it show. A wave of relief went through him as Zack dug in with gusto. Tifa joined them with her own plate and started to eat. She shot Cloud a look and gave him a subtle nod that he returned.

"So, Sephiroth's in the woods?" Zack asked between bites, letting out a little chuckle. "Hope he hasn't gotten stuck in one of those spider webs. Can you imagine that?"

They shared a genuine laugh at the image of the great Sephiroth getting caught in a spider web.

"Hey, I never got to ask. How do you like it in Nibelheim so far?" Cloud asked after taking a bite of his own food.

"Well, it's kinda weird," Zack said with a grin and just a little bit of snark in his voice.

Cloud snorted. "Aside from that."

"Hm. It's nice, I guess. I mean, I'm still a country boy at heart, after all!"

"Why don't you join us here, then?" Tifa asked. "We could be neighbors!"

"Ha! I mean that'd cool, but my girlfriend lives in Midgar, ya know?"

Tifa did something of a half shrug. "Bring her here, then?"

"She's barely seen the sky. I dunno what she'd do if she saw rugged nature like this," he replied.

"She's a Cetra, she'd get used to it," Cloud said halfheartedly, only realizing his mistake after the words had already left his lips.

"Eh, you're right—" He frowned hard at the blond, his nervous glare never wavering. "Wait, how do...you...know?" The questioning look inside Zack's eyes vanished as his fork fell from his hand, replaced with an empty stare just before his eyelids closed. He fell face first onto the table.

Tifa sighed in relief. "That was a close one. You slipped up there."

"Yeah, sorry. Well—"Cloud rose from his seat. "Time to take him up the mountain."

It wasn't long after Zack had passed out that the Fjallgætir he had requested came into town, ready to help carry his unconscious body up to the cave. The three Dugafel from earlier were waiting for them, doing a little clicking 'chant' as Zack was carried inside and put into position against the wall for them to get to work. They moved around, carefully spinning their silk all over his best friend's body to create a protective cocoon for his awakening.

While the Dugafel worked, the Fjallgætir stood nearby, keeping a watchful eye on Zack. In the meantime, Cloud got to work himself, taking the mortar and pestle from the altar to crush the herbs and roots together. The leaves were doused with a small amount of stream water, helping it turn into a paste. Then, he squeezed out the root, a yellowish-brown sap seeping out and into the mortar. Once that was done, he took the container with the Dugafel venom and poured it over the mixture.

A groan from behind and to the side told him that Zack was waking up.

"This isn't Aerith's place..." he heard him mumble, shortly followed by a loud: "Oh, fuck!"

The Fjallgætir let out a snort.

"Calm down, Zack."

"Huh? Cloud?!" Cloud turned to look at his friend, who had moved his head to peek past the large creature towards him. "What's going on here? Why am I—nngh—stuck?!"

"Because you're wrapped in silk."

Zack sighed harshly. "That's not what I meant!"

"Listen, I know this looks strange—"

"Damn right it does!"

"—but it'll all make sense soon," Cloud told him. He turned back and carefully stirred the mixture while reciting the ancient words of old Nibelese. He did so until it became a runny, yolk-like texture and it took on a bright green coloration. It was done.

Pouring the potion into a sacred bowl made of local mythril, Cloud turned around and walked over to Zack. The Fjallgætir moved away, taking its place behind him, its many eyes never leaving the SOLDIER.

"You need to drink this," Cloud said as he held the bowl, brimming with the sacred drink.

Zack could only gawk at him. "W-what the hell is that?"

"It's part of the ritual. With this you'll be like us. Part of the mountain," Cloud explained to him, trying to speak in a soothing manner to calm his friend down. This was for his own good, after all. "He, Niblrung, chose you."

"...Who?" He shook his head firmly. "I don't care who chose me, I ain't drinking that. Let me out of here!" Zack started to struggle again, but the silk was still holding tight. "What are these monsters?!"

Cloud motioned his head backwards."That big guy is a mountain keeper, we call them Fjallgætir."

It let out a huff, its eight legs clicking on the stone floor. "They can be a little...stern."

"Now, these guys—" Cloud reached out to stroke one of the Dugafel's heads, and when he looked back at his friend, he saw a mixture of horror and disgust in Zack's eyes. "—Are the little helpers, Dugafel. They, too, are of the mountain. Just like everyone in Nibelheim."

Zack grit his teeth, his breath quick. He looked between the Fjallgætir, the Dugafel, and Cloud. "...What the hell are you?!"

He put his free hand to his chest, plain flax shirt stained from mixing the potion. "I'm a Fjallfolk. We hear and speak for the mountain, so the humans know what Niblrung says."

"No...You gotta be possessed. You're using Cloud's body, you weirdo spider demon!"

Cloud had to stop himself from wincing at his friend's words. That one hurt. He tried smiling at him reassuringly. "No, it's me, Cloud. Your friend."

"My friend wouldn't tie me up to be monster food!"

Cloud sighed and shook his head. "Nobody is going to eat you. You just need to drink this and you'll finally understand."

He lifted the bowl towards Zack, but his friend moved his face away. The Fjallgætir let out a mixture between a growl and a bleat, then took a menacing step forward, but Cloud lifted his hand to stop the creature. It snorted, its lips rubbing together in agitation.

"Listen, I don't want to do this, but if you won't drink this on your own volition, we're going to have to force you."

"Try me, then!"

"Come on, drink it...you're not gettin' out until you do," he admonished while holding the bowl by Zack's face. Cloud let out a sigh. "Don't you wanna keep your girlfriend safe?"

Zack turned his head to look him straight in the eye, a grimace forming on his darkening face.

"You keep her out of this!" he snarled before he began to struggle again. Cloud took a step back, and the Dugafel let out little shrill screams as the webbing began to come undone. The Fjallgætir lunged forward, using an arm to hold Zack against the wall. "Urgh!"

"Zack, stop!"

"Fuck you! When I get outta this—"

All of a sudden, the statue of Niblrung started to glow and Cloud could hear a strange sort of...song emanating from it. It was a low thrum, making the stone around them vibrate. As it continued its gentle song, the Dugafel immediately seemed to calm themselves, their screams turning into an otherworldly hum to accompany the 'singing'.

His friend stopped struggling. His entire body seemed to go rigid, his eyes and mouth opening wide in a silent scream. This was his chance. Without hesitation, Cloud stepped forward and brought the bowl up to Zack's lips, carefully emptying the contents into his mouth as his body almost automatically swallowed it down. Cloud's shaking hands let the bowl clatter to the ground after he was finished, and the statue returned to its silent state. The Dugafel followed, and they watched the SOLDIER with anticipation.

He coughed and gagged, some of the potion dripping from the sides of his lips. Having somewhat regained control over his body once more, Zack moved his head with effort, looking Cloud straight in the eye, his face despondent, after blinking rapidly.

"...What happened...to you?"

"I came home," Cloud replied with a wave of his hand, his eyes now a mix of black and amber. His brow creased at the sad look on his friend's face; if only he understood right now! "And soon, you will be home, too."

"...Why?" Zack asked weakly, a tear running down his cheek. Cloud reached out to brush it away, a serene, kind smile on his face. The SOLDIER flinched at the touch.

"You'll understand soon. Everything'll be alright, I promise."

Zack didn't answer, his strength completely spent as the concoction churned within his body. Cloud nodded to the Fjallgætir, and the creature removed its arm. As soon as they stepped away, the Dugafel went back to work, repairing the damage that Zack had caused and wrapping up his head as well until he was well and truly inside a cocoon; a caterpillar waiting to be reborn as a beautiful butterfly.

* * *

It was on the eve of the third day that Cloud returned to the cave, beckoned by His voice telling him that it was done. He had gone up just to visit every day, checking on the cocoon like a hen inspected her eggs in her nest. Sometimes he would talk a little to the unmoving bundle of silk, how he missed him, how he couldn't wait to get him started on a life in Nibelheim.

After arriving, he had sat down on the ground and focused his gaze on the cocoon in which his friend was resting. Today would be the day. Tomorrow, they would feast. He sat there for hours, unflinching, until finally there was movement.

Little by little the silk came apart. A gloved finger forced its way outside, wiggling experimentally before tugging at the outer shell. Two hands appeared, pushing it apart further, soon followed by a head full of black, spiky hair. A few gasps of fresh air, then the cocoon completely split down the middle, revealing Zack Fair as he took his first step into his new existence. His mako tinted eyes focused on Cloud, and he walked towards him, slowly, as if a little unsure if his legs were truly working as they should.

Cloud rose to his feet when his friend came to a halt in front of him. Their eyes met, their expressions serious, before simultaneously stepping forward and gathering each other in a hug. He smiled into Zack's chest; they were as good as brothers now.

"Welcome home," Cloud said.

"Yeah..." Zack replied. The SOLDIER blinked and his eyes became pools of pure black, the amber gems inside glowing ominously. "I'm home."


	6. Chapter 6

**Epilogue: The Flower Girl and the Fisherman**

The streets of Midgar were busy as usual, people coming or going at all times of the day. A city that never truly slept. To Aerith, it seemed a little sad.

That was part of why she wanted to sell flowers; to brighten the days of some of Midgar's citizens. Her talent gave her the ability to read people pretty easily, so she could adjust the prices on the fly to cheer someone up.

Though, for the last couple of months, she'd been having a bit of a hard time about it.

_Zack,_ she wondered, her eyes turning towards the obscure night sky above Sector 8, one of her favorite selling spots. _Where are you?_

It had been six months since he had left on that mission. Six months since their last talk.

When she had asked Tseng about it on one of his visits, the only answer she had gotten was: "_He went AWOL."_

The Turk had been obviously worried that day, which had done nothing to quell her own anxious thoughts.

_I hope you're alright..._

As she entered the train that would take her to the slums, Aerith closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the car and the people inside it to drone out that ever present feeling of worry, if only for a short train ride. For a little while, she found some peace from her thoughts, but a voice too similar to his would break her out of her temporary serenity, and she would sigh before trying again.

It didn't take long to arrive at the Sector 7 train station, left with her own thoughts again. Without paying attention, Aerith made her way back to Sector 5 and towards the old church, a way that she knew by heart now.

It was her special place, where she could hear the whispers of the planet. They always managed to quell her worries somewhat.

"Um, excuse me?" a voice called out, making her look up. A young man stood near the entrance. His demeanour felt a little out of place, like he didn't really belong in a city. Someone that moved here rather recently, perhaps?

"Yes?" she tilted her head to the side.

"Your name's Aerith, right?" he asked her, brushing a hand over the dusty apron he was wearing.

"That's right. How do you know...?"

"I got a message for you." He lowered his voice a little. "From someone that's important to you."

After saying those words, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope.

_A letter?_ Her eyes widened a little. Could it be?

"I-is it from-?" the young man nodded before she could utter the question. A letter from Zack.

"So..." He smiled a little. "How about a flower for a letter?"

Aerith looked at him slightly dumbfounded for a moment, before letting out a giggle. She reached into her basket and handed him one of the flowers.

"I like a fair trade," he said and handed her the letter. He said a quick goodbye to her, then went on his way. Aerith remained where she was, looking at the envelope in her hands. It looked a bit rustic, just like the clothing the messenger wore.

Walking inside the church, she sat down on one of the benches and ripped open the envelope. Her heart skipped a beat as she unfolded the letter and started to read.

_Dear Aerith,_

_First off: I'm sorry I didn't get in touch with you sooner. Things were a bit hectic on my end and I hope you can forgive me for worrying you._

_I hope you're doing alright. Has Tseng come over to check on you like he promised?_

_I have a lot to tell you, but if I do that now I might as well write a novel, so I'll keep it brief._

_I'm coming to Midgar soon. By the time you get this letter I should be halfway there. So I won't be long, I promise._

_If I could, I would just teleport over to see you even sooner._

_So, see you soon!_

_Love, Zack._

_P.S. Don't tell Tseng about this letter._

"Zack..." she whispered, a tear running down her cheek. A wave of relief washed over her. He was alright. With a watery smile, she read the letter a couple of more times, then held it close to her chest.

He was coming back. To her.

Wiping away her tears, Aerith folded the letter once more and put it into her flower basket, before rising to her feet and heading for the door, forgoing her usual prayer just this once. With a spring in her step, she headed back home.

"Mom, I'm back!" she called out as soon as she stepped inside.

"Welcome back," Elmyra, her mother, said. They weren't related by blood, but that had never mattered to either of them. "My, you're looking pretty chipper. Did something good happen?"

"Yeah," Aerith replied with a smile, her hand brushing over the basket where the letter was hidden underneath the flowers. "You could say something good happened."

Days passed, one after another, turning into weeks, yet this time Aerith didn't lose hope and waited patiently, reading the letter each night before going to bed. Like Zack had told her, she kept the letter a secret from Tseng, and even her mother just to be sure!

It was the Sunday of the second week. Aerith was just tending to the flowers growing inside the church when she heard a noise coming from the door. The first thought she had was that it was one of the Turks coming to check up on her again, so she didn't even look to address the person as steps approached her. Only when they cleared their throat did she turn her gaze away from the flowers and towards none other than Zack.

_Zack!_

Aerith immediately shot towards him, jumping into his arms as soon as she reached him, her lips immediately seeking out his in a deep kiss that lit her senses on fire. This was real!

"I'm happy to see you too," Zack said after their lips separated, placing her back on the ground with that bright grin she had fallen in love with on his face.

But as happy as she was, there was something that needed to be addressed.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" she demanded, slapping his shoulder.

"Ow!"

Aerith crossed her arms while tapping her foot on the ground. "Well?"

Zack gulped and took a little step back, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh, my phone kinda died and I was so busy building a house—"

She tilted her head to the side questioningly. "A house?"

"Well, two actually, but anyway, I really couldn't get in touch any sooner. I'm sorry. But I'm here now and I want to take you with me." His smile returned.

Aerith frowned. "Take me? To where?"

"Nibelheim."

"Where's that?"

"The western continent. Actually not too far away from my hometown." He licked his lips and put his hands on his hips. "...I'm living there now. I've...quit Shinra."

She dropped her arms and just stared at him, mouth slightly agape. He quit Shinra?

Now that she was looking at him, he _was_ wearing clothing she had never seen on him before. A white, short sleeved shirt and bright rolled up pants held in place with a pair of suspenders. As rustic as the letter he had sent her.

But being a SOLDIER had always been his dream.

"Why?" was all she could ask.

"I've come to realize there's more to life than simply being a hero. And I want to experience it all..." He held out his hand towards her. "With you by my side. These past months there hasn't been a day I didn't think about you, and I can't stand the thought of being separated from you again. Will you join me?"

Aerith looked at his outstretched hand. Joining him...

Her heart beat wildly at the thought of running far away from Midgar, with Zack by her side. Part of her was afraid; she had never been outside Midgar, but another part wanted to blow caution to the wind. "What about Mom?"

"She can come, too. The more the merrier, they say!"

Aerith looked deep into Zack's Mako tinted eyes, at the love reflected in them. In the back of her mind, she heard the whispers of the planet.

Slowly she raised her hand and placed it into Zack's much larger one.

* * *

The sea was beautiful today. Crystal clear and there were no clouds in the sky, so the sun was shining brightly as well, making the view all the more sublime.

The fisherman sat smiling on the pier that he had built with his own hands on a beach of the Mideel archipelago, fishing rod in hand and the line cast out into the clear blue sea. The breeze gently caressed his hair, most of it collected in a low ponytail that rested on his back. In the basket next to him were the fish that he had managed to catch today. A good haul.

"My thanks," he mumbled to no one in particular it seemed. He straightened his wide brimmed straw hat, then started to hum a soft melody to himself. Life was, indeed, good.

"Good mornin'," a voice called out, making the fisherman turn around to see the portly mayor of the nearby town of Mideel approach.

"Good morning to you, too," the fisherman replied while pushing his round sunglasses up his nose, then turned back towards the sea. "What brings you out here?"

"Just checking in with our newest addition is all. I hope you're doing alright?" The mayor was a kind man; always had an open ear for the people in town and nearby, like himself.

The fisherman shook his head. "The sea provides me with what I need, as it does everyone here."

The mayor chuckled. "I suppose it does."

The two men fell into a pleasant silence and only the sound of the waves and the winds could be heard.

"But there's actually somethin' I wanted to ask you," the mayor said after a while.

"Please, go ahead," the fisherman replied.

"We're holding a festival in town soon and I was wondering if you would attend, what with being new and all."

He let out a little laugh. A festival...That sounded fun indeed. "I have no reason why I shouldn't, I suppose. I'll be sure to be there."

"Excellent!" the mayor said, before pulling out a small golden pocket watch. "I should go. Lots to do, and I don't wanna keep you from fishin'!"

As if on cue, something started to pull on the other end of the line. "Have a pleasant day then, always a pleasure."

As the mayor made to leave, the man stopped for a moment. "You know, I could swear I've seen you somewhere in the past, but I can't put my finger on it."

"I've been told I look like a TV star in the past," the fisherman said with a quiet chuckle.

"Yeah, that's probably it. Well, good day to you!"

While the mayor left, the fisherman started to reel in his next catch. But this one didn't seem to plan to be eaten anytime soon, and put up a valiant fight against him. In the end though, the fisherman was victorious.

"Feisty one, weren't you?" he asked while putting it into the bucket with the rest of his catch. "This should be enough for today."

The fisherman rose to his feet, adjusting his straw hat before grabbing the basket and putting his fishing rod over his shoulder. He nodded towards the sea, another thank you for the great haul today, then left to head towards his nearby cottage.

That, too, he had built with his own hands. It wasn't anything fancy, but it had a homely feel to it. He liked it. After stepping inside, the fisherman placed his fishing rod against the wall and took his sunglasses off, sitting them on the table, rectangular and scratched from his carving knife.

He then walked over to a small shrine that he had made from various sea shells. Pink, white, green and even a few pieces of red and black coral decorated it. He kneeled in front of it, then took one of the fish and placed it on the small altar as an offering to the Lady, the offering resting in the glossy, shallow basin of a giant clam shell. He said words of prayer that he knew by heart now, closing his eyes as he did so.

He had come to this land because it was so close to where the Lady resided. The cradle from which all life sprang from. When he was at his lowest, he had been given a purpose, and that purpose was to serve the Lady as faithfully as possible for the day when she would return.

After finishing his prayers, he placed the rest of the fish in his small kitchen where he would soon make a hearty meal out of them. Maybe a nice fish chowder. As he left the kitchen, he turned to look at the small mirror hanging above the bowl he used to shave himself.

The fisherman smiled into the mirror, and Sephiroth smiled back.

One day, Minerva would return, and he would walk by Her side as a member of Her entourage. But that day was not today, nor tomorrow, nor the day after. So he would remain and enjoy this new life, this wonderful gift, he had been given to the fullest.

* * *

**Aaaaand that's a wrap.  
**

**Ah I know there's still a lots of open questions here that sadly won't be answered here. Some of you probably want to know "but what's with Vincent?", well who knows? Perhaps instead of nightmares about his past he's now visited by your friendly neighborhood elder god that tells him to stop being a basement dweller and find a wife?**

****So how did you enjoy this little venture into an AU based on an AU?****

****If you liked it, maybe check out Denebola_Leo's Call of the Mountain that started it all?****


End file.
